Games in the Classroom

Describe and link to one game (video, computer, board game, app) that you would be interested in using in your classroom. How will this game be used to enhance learning and/or make learning easier for students? If the game is not educational (e.g., Angry Birds, Words with Friends), how would you adapt the game to fit within your curriculum?

CellCraft Biology Game is a great computer game to show not only the anatomy of a cell, but the physiological processes that go along with energy consumption and production within a cell.  As you start this game, you are required to consume ATP, to give your cell more energy to move around the petri dish.  Along the way, you have different goals and tasks to accomplish in order to keep your cell functioning.  Partway through the game, a nucleus and mitochondria are acquired to aid in energy production.  This screen shot show the screen of the game upon obtaining a nucleus, and beginning protein production.  The top left corner shows the amount of energy, or ATP that my cell currently has. 

If you look in the upper right hand corner, you can see that the objective is to make more ribosomes.   Throughout the game there are objectives such as acquire ribosomes, glucose molecules, or ATP as you travel around the dish. The ribosome pictured enables the cell to continue protein production after the addition of the nucleus containing DNA. 

I think this game is a great learning tool for the classroom because it enables students to explore the anatomy and physiology of the cell, all the while completing tasks, goals and objectives along the way - which keeps there interest.  This game allows them to 'compete' and keep their cell alive, while teaching them very important anatomical and physiological processes.  I would consider using this game in my classroom while student were learning the anatomy and function of organelles within a cell.  There would be a risk in that computer time can promote off-task behavior, but I'd hope that allowing them to play this 'game' would keep their engagement and ideally help them in understanding the processes of a cell.